Raise your voice

Similar to the accumulative power of good habits shared by a large collective, many voices saying the same thing have the potential to affect change.

“Whether it’s through activism or advocacy, we can demand the government and private sector to do things differently,” Chung said.

“If you have the privilege to vote, it’s important that you educate yourself and understand where climate fits in the agenda for the people you’re voting for,” Camp added.

Further education also means learning the ripple effects of your own choices.

Make mindful choices

“As a marine biologist who has to travel, I always assess the flights I take,” Camp said. “Do I really need to take that flight, or are there other ways to get there? If I do have to take that flight, can I meaningfully offset that travel? Can I pool trips together to limit the flights I take?”

It’s all about intentionally reducing your carbon footprint, but where do we start?

“Instead of doing something differently, I would recommend an incremental approach,” she added. “Try substitutional behaviours that still give you the same enjoyment but can reduce your environmental impact.”

Read more: Be Stylish And Sustainable: 3 Gen.T Honourees Show Us How

Get informed as a consumer

Not every company has an eco-mission, and even among those that do, it’s important to be aware of the authenticity of their claims.

“It’s very easy for companies to claim to be carbon neutral, but it’s very hard to assess which ones are actually doing it,” Chung said, and shares that she recently discovered a website that targets greenwashing, an increasingly widespread “practice of falsifying or overstating the green credentials of a product, service, brand or even a company itself”. 

It’s crucial to educate ourselves on the services or products we choose as you never know what the knock-on effect is of something we’re buying. To you, it might just be a plastic toothbrush, but the production of that toothbrush contributes to melting glaciers, Chung added.

It's an uphill battle

“Our biggest challenge is to get the message across to people who don’t care about climate change at all,” Chung acknowledged. “People seldom see the connection between smart action and a bigger change in your environment and people around you”, and so they don’t see the point.

But just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

In fact, what pushed Camp into dedicating her life to marine preservation was a trip to Indonesia, where she met people whose entire lives depended on coral reefs.

“There are communities all over the world that rely entirely on ecosystems,” she said. “Losing these systems will mean social displacement and economic crises.”

Disregarding the plight they might face should we continue to be nonchalant is not an option, because for them, climate change is as much a global issue as it is a personal one.

This edition of Cloud Talk was held in partnership with Rolex through its Perpetual Planet initiative. Part of Tatler’s Under The Same Sky campaign with the watchmaker. The Rolex Awards for Enterprise support exceptional individuals who have the courage and conviction to take on major challenges, and it is accepting applications from now until October 17, 2022. Find out more and apply to become a 2023 Rolex Laureate here.

NOW READ

Under the Same Sky: How Rolex Laureate Emma Camp Is Saving Coral Reefs

Why Businesses Can Invest In Sustainability And Also Do Well

Scents And Sensibility: How Byredo Connects With Millennials And Gen Z